A rare look inside a U.S. aircraft carrier at the heart of the Iran war

An emergency alert blares from a loudspeaker, and Damon Dennard and other sailors on the deck of the aircraft carrier USS George Washington are scrambling. The 23-year-old is readying bombs for loading onto aircraft as his crewmates race to their positions.“It has been eventful,” says Aviation Ordnanceman Airman Apprentice Dennard. Once the alert ends, he takes a breath, sits on one of the bombs and jokes that he probably expected an easier deployment.“It’s crazy, but at the end of the day, it’s work. That’s all.” From the flight deck of USS George Washington, Damon Dennard and fellow sailors have kept alert for conflict as the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran continues. AOAA Dennard was one of dozens of sailors Reuters spoke with in September on a rare visit to a U.S. warship that is central to the Iran war. The visit began at a particularly tense moment, just three days after the U.S. military blew up five Iranian oil tankers in retaliation for Iran targeting a U.S. Navy warship. There is no end-date for the deployment, and the mission itself came as a surprise to the crew of the Japan-based carrier. The aircraft carrier is effectively a floating city of around 5,000 personnel, each with their own mission, from Majesta Ochoa, who operates a cash register, to Lieutenant-Commander Brody Samaha, a “shooter” who helps oversee the launch of aircraft from the carrier’s catapults.There is a sense of synchronization as the sailors go about their jobs, crew say. “It’s a dance, with lots of people checking each other,” Lt. Samaha says, before adding that the flight deck is also a “very dangerous place to be. It’s very unforgiving.” When Reuters visited USS George Washington in September, it was somewhere in the Arabian Sea, which the Strait of Hormuz connects with the Persian Gulf. (The news agency got access to the ship on the condition that they not disclose its exact whereabouts, or any other operational details.) Breana Royston – a night aircraft handling officer, or NACHO – has a unique perspective over the dangerous manoeuvring on the flight deck. Her job is to supervise aircraft movement, including bringing fighter jets up to the flight deck and back down to the hangar bay via massive elevators. To do that, she uses what’s known in Navy parlance as a “ouija board” – a real-time model of the deck, with miniature aircraft all lined up in their current positions. It looks a little like a strategy board game.“We’ve been on our toes the last week, manoeuvring and everything – with everything that’s going on,” she says, adding it’s been “kind of crazy, really busy.”“It’s nerve-wracking, but it’s fun.” Breana Royston and other ‘NACHOs’ use a model of the flight deck to keep track of the aircraft, and make sure they leave and return safely. The Iranian government has repeatedly condemned U.S. military actions in the Strait of Hormuz. On Sept. 25, the Iranian foreign minister said the insecurity prevailing in the strait was the “direct result of the aggressive actions of the United States and the Israeli regime.”The war began in February with joint strikes on Iranian targets by the United States and Israel. President Donald Trump has said many times the conflict would soon be over, but as it persisted for longer than initially expected, the Navy turned to the George Washington to relieve another carrier, USS Abraham Lincoln.In August, in response to reports of deteriorating conditions, low morale and suicide attempts on the Lincoln – at sea since November, 2025 – U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said the accounts “misrepresented” the reality, praising sailors who endure austere conditions.Open this photo in gallery:The crew of USS Abraham Lincoln got some R&R last month in Thailand’s Pattaya City.Chalinee Thirasupa/ReutersStill, extended deployments can pose enormous strain on crews’ mental health, particularly in wartime, and are a challenge for any navy. Sailors must maintain a state of alert and readiness, heightened in the case of the George Washington due to the threat of drone and missile attack from Iran.“Morale is really important to us,” said Rear Admiral Jeffrey Heames, commander of Carrier Strike Group 5. Rear Adm. Heames talked about ensuring the ability of the crew to contact home and receive mail. “Some of those things affect how sailors hold up out in this kind of environment. They are huge focus areas for me.”Reuters spoke with Seaman Deandre Cook as he checked in with his wife back home on a video call. She was holding one of their young daughters on her hip. It was hard being away from his family, she said, but added: “The distance makes the relationship stronger.” The wireless network on the carrier allows Deandre Cook to stay in touch with his family in Texas. Communication discipline is strict on a Navy ship; sailors must be careful who they talk to about what. As jets thundered off the carrier’s deck above them, hundreds of members of the George Washington’s crew gathered for a ceremony to mark the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks – an event many of them were too young to remember.The al-Qaeda attacks on New York and Washington propelled the United States into two decades of war that sent troops to Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and elsewhere. Many supporters of Mr. Trump had hoped Middle East wars were a thing of the past.After a sailor sang the national anthem, the chaplain on board, Ben Garrett, delivered a prayer as the assembled crew bowed their heads. “Help us honour those who have gone before us.” The sailors paid their respects on the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The chaplain, a Roman Catholic priest, later told Reuters that many of the crew members are still learning the basics of growing up, including skills like patience, managing relationships and career expectations. “A huge percentage of this ship are between the ages of 19 and 24 years old. So they’re trying to figure out being an adult while they’re out here.”Camren Pollard, 24, an interior communications electrician third class, said he joined the Navy on a spur-of-the-moment decision after seeing older coworkers unhappy in his previous job. “I wanted to change things in my life,” he said. “My mom freaked out more than anything. My little brother thought it was kind of cool,” he said, but “I don’t think about it a whole lot. It’s work for me.”Defence in depth: More from The Globe and MailThe Decibel podcastThe Canadian Armed Forces are reorganizing to be less dependent on U.S. help in a “future battlefield.” Journalist and photographer Gavin John spoke with The Decibel about why the military is moving with such urgency. Subscribe for more episodes.CommentaryWayne Eyre: I fought for investment in Canada’s defence as international order erodedPeter Jones: Why Ottawa is telling the military that the days of automatically buying U.S. gear are overEditorial: The hunt for a Liberal defence plan